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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26234521">Portrait of a Kingdom</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Code_The_Poet/pseuds/Code_The_Poet'>Code_The_Poet</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Chance Meetings, Gen, The Kosei duo, just two eccentrics bonding</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:42:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,910</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26234521</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Code_The_Poet/pseuds/Code_The_Poet</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Wandering the halls of Kosei late one evening in search for artistic inspiration, Yusuke stumbles upon a classmate practicing shogi alone in an empty classroom and can't help but be intrigued by her unique playstyle.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kitagawa Yusuke &amp; Togo Hifumi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Portrait of a Kingdom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samusthedude/gifts">Samusthedude</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Wrote this for a friend who loves Hifumi, hope you enjoy! I left the timeline pretty vague but it takes place before Yusuke joins the Phantom Thieves.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>During the school day, Kosei High School was never lacking in activity. Students bustled around from class to class, laden with heavy bookbags and bulky art projects in various stages of completion, and their shouts to classmates and friends filled the tall halls with an enthusiastic babble of noise. The school peacock frequently joined the commotion, strutting about and adding its piercing squawks to the cacophony. It was hard not to be swept up in the excitement of another day, even for the most reluctant of students.</p>
<p>In the evenings, once even the most devoted club members returned home or retired to the dorms, it was a much different story.</p>
<p>Yusuke Kitagawa frowned to himself as he strolled through the deserted halls, a sketchbook tucked under his arm. The lights, which were dimmed to save power, cast long shadows on the heavily decorated walls, giving even the most colourful murals an eerie quality. His footsteps echoed in the empty space, seeming to mock his solitude.</p>
<p>“Perhaps an image of a deserted corridor left to rot under the ever-flowing expanse of time?” he mumbled aloud, but he quickly shook his head as if disagreeing with himself. “That wouldn’t do, Sensei wanted something truly extraordinary for this next piece.”</p>
<p>Yusuke paused to brush his hair out of his eyes and sighed in frustration. The danger in his mentor’s voice had been evident that morning when he’d warned the boy not to return home until he had chosen a fitting subject for his long overdue next piece. Though inspiration wasn’t usually an area he struggled in, the looming threat seemed to have completely chased away his usual creative energy. The desperate search for a new subject was starting to take its toll on him in the form of gnawing hunger and an ever-deepening exhaustion.</p>
<p>A voice from a classroom down the hall caught Yusuke’s attention, and he looked up, his curiosity piqued. Stealing towards the open door with the stealth of a fox closing in on its prey, he strained his ear to catch the words of the unknown person within.</p>
<p>“The chariot takes to the skies to defend the gold general!” The exclamation was punctuated with a hollow, wooden <em>clack! </em>“Now to use the position gained to formulate a counter-attack…”</p>
<p>Yusuke’s curiosity got the better of him and he peered around the doorframe. Across the room sat another student he recognized from some of his classes. She appeared to be deeply involved in the wooden game board in front of her, and, oblivious though Yusuke was to most school gossip, even he knew that this must be Hifumi Togo, the rumoured shogi prodigy.</p>
<p>“Prepare yourself for the Ambush of the Silver Blade!” shouted the girl, evidently enjoying herself. She didn’t seem to notice her newly acquired audience of one, and Yusuke took the opportunity to slip inside and seat himself on top of a desk. Out of habit his sketchbook was flipped open to a fresh page and his pencil started to dance over it, almost unconsciously capturing the scene in front of him.</p>
<p>“The enemy army is strong, but the knights of the Togo Kingdom will not back down from such a challenge.” Hifumi frowned at the board in front of her in deep concentration. “Perhaps it is time that the warrior of the chariot reclaim his birthright as the Dragon King.”</p>
<p>As Hifumi continued to narrate her practice, the imagery of the fantastical “Togo Kingdom” began to weave itself into Yusuke’s sketch. The walls of the classroom fell away, revealing sweeping lands populated with the warriors of Hifumi’s descriptions. Rearing behind her, against the sky, was a regal dragon. He left Hifumi herself relatively unchanged, save for a simple tiara that curved elegantly through her dark hair. The likeness of her face was alight with the same determination she showed as she gazed upon the board now, plotting her next move.</p>
<p>“Our opponent has conceded! The victory of the Togo Kingdom is assured!” Hifumi slammed down her piece with a sense of finality, her posture exuding the triumph afforded to the victor of a great battle.</p>
<p>“Magnificent!” cried Yusuke, forgetting he was an uninvited guest at what was likely meant to be a private performance. “Hold that pose, Togo-san, while I capture the triumph of the Shogi Queen!”</p>
<p>Hifumi shrieked and leaped to her feet, upturning the board in front of her in her shock. The pieces clattered to the floor around her as she stammered, “Wh—who are you?”</p>
<p>“My name is Yusuke Kitagawa, and I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by your practice,” replied the boy, his eyes not leaving his sketchbook. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”</p>
<p>“Er, how long have you been watching?” asked Hifumi, the embarrassment in her voice a stark contrast to her earlier confidence.</p>
<p>“Since the Ambush of the Silver Blade, I believe,” replied Yusuke casually, continuing to sketch. “Your victory was a sight to behold, Togo-san of the Togo Kingdom.”</p>
<p>Hifumi’s pale cheeks reddened and she buried her face in her hands. “Please don’t make fun of me, Kitagawa-san,” she pleaded, her voice muffled. “I am already aware that my method of playing shogi is considered bizarre by most people.”</p>
<p>Yusuke finally tore his eyes away from the paper in front of him to fix Hifumi with a bemused expression. “On the contrary, Togo-san, it was quite exhilarating. I found myself entranced by your vivid descriptions.” He appeared to notice the displaced board and the scattered shogi pieces around Hifumi for the first time, and rose quickly to his feet. “Ah, I apologize if I startled you, Togo-san! Allow me to assist you in picking up your board.”</p>
<p>“Thank you for the offer, but I would prefer to do it myself.” Hifumi hesitated before continuing, “It was I who upset my warriors so carelessly and I would like to be the one to put things right.”</p>
<p>“Of course.” Yusuke accepted her explanation with a simple nod, settling himself back down with his sketchbook. “Do not allow me to disturb you, in that case. I will occupy myself by putting the finishing touches on my interpretation of your practice.”</p>
<p>“Y—your what?” Her eyes darted nervously to the sketchbook. “Were you… <em>drawing</em> me?”</p>
<p>“But of course,” he answered as if that should be obvious. “I felt a rush of inspiration when I beheld your practice and I could not hold myself back from attempting to capture it on paper.”</p>
<p>Hifumi stared down at the ground as she whispered, “I’m sorry, but I would really prefer that you didn’t.”</p>
<p>Yusuke looked up in surprise. “Why not?” he asked, genuine confusion in his voice.</p>
<p>“You are not the first art student to approach me with requests to model for their pieces, and that is the answer I have given each one.” She let out a shaky breath. “Please do not be angry with me, Kitagawa-san.”</p>
<p>“Ah.” Yusuke appeared to be at a loss for words, but he set his sketchbook down regardless. “My apologies if I am out of line, but why are you so reluctant to model?”</p>
<p>Hifumi knelt down and began picking up the pieces strewn about her. Freed from the inadvertent intensity of the artist’s gaze, she found herself more willing to answer. “It is because of my mother. She is often pressuring me to do photoshoots for magazines and I dislike the way those people aim to depict me in their work.” She paused to brush some dirt off of one of her beloved pieces. “It seems they are focused more on portraying me as some kind of teen idol than a serious shogi player.” Rising to her feet to deposit the last handful of pieces on the table, she was startled to see an amused smile tugging at the corners of Yusuke’s mouth.</p>
<p>“Perhaps you would like to see my sketch for yourself, before you make up your mind,” he offered, holding out his sketchbook and turning it around for her to see. “It is still rough around the edges, but I hope it convinces you that I am attempting to portray you as faithfully as I can. Of course, the finished piece would be a painting and not a sketch…”</p>
<p>Hifumi approached the book to get a better look, and found herself staring at the sketch in awe. Rather than the gaudy backdrops the magazine photographers seemed to prefer, she saw images of the kingdom of her creation rising around her. Somehow, the hasty scribble of charcoal lines that made up her image in the middle were more familiar to her than the glossy images that leered at her from the magazine stands in the subway stations.</p>
<p>“So, Togo-san, what do you think?” Yusuke tried not to betray how anxious he was about her answer, as the pressure of having something to show his mentor was still foremost on his mind.</p>
<p>“I concede my defeat,” Hifumi answered finally.</p>
<p>He blinked. “Huh?”</p>
<p>She gave him a slight smile. “In shogi, one concedes their defeat when they recognize they have lost. It is much more honourable than continuing to fight a losing battle.” Seeing that the boy was still confused, Hifumi added, “It appears I was wrong about you, Kitagawa-san. I will allow you to portray me as the subject of your next piece. On one condition, that is.”</p>
<p>“What is that?” he asked curiously.</p>
<p>“I would like to have this sketch when you are finished with your painting.” She looked down, her tone becoming shy once more. “My father is the one who taught me shogi, and the scenes I imagine when I play are very much inherited from him. I’m sure it would delight him to see them illustrated like this.”</p>
<p>“That can certainly be arranged,” replied Yusuke with obvious relief. He closed the sketchbook and began to pack away the rest of his supplies. “My apologies, Togo-san, but I must be going. It would not do to keep Sensei waiting any longer.”</p>
<p>“Of course.” Hifumi watched him pack up in silence, but she seemed to be having an internal debate with herself.</p>
<p>“Was there something else on your mind?” asked Yusuke, pausing in the doorway of the classroom on his way out.</p>
<p>She took a deep breath. “I just wanted to thank you, Kitagawa-san. Most people tend to make fun of my, er, <em>unusual</em> playstyle.”</p>
<p>Yusuke gave her a wry smile. “From one eccentric to another, it is not worth concerning yourself with what others think. They cannot understand what it means to pursue a craft so deeply that it becomes your entire world.” He adjusted the bulky bag of art supplies tossed over his shoulder to a more comfortable position and gave her a deep bow. “Farewell, Togo-san, and may your passion for shogi lead you to ever greater victories.”</p>
<p>“O—of course,” Hifumi stammered, taken off-guard. “Farewell to you as well, Kitagawa-san,” she added, but the boy had already disappeared around the corner. She turned back to reset her board for another match, his parting words lingering in her ears and a smile on her lips.</p>
<p>Hurrying through the school halls with a newfound spring in his step, Yusuke’s prior exhaustion and hunger felt like a distant memory. Instead, it was replaced by a familiar burst of creative energy that left him itching to get home to his canvas and brush.</p>
<p>“Surely Sensei will be sufficiently impressed by this piece,” he murmured to himself.</p>
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